Straight from the Heart

Academy Award™ nominated short film Straight from the Heart explores parents' journeys to a new understanding of their lesbian and gay children.

We have made a streaming version of the film, in its entirety, available here for viewing:

More about this Film:

Overview | Awards | Film Credits | Discussion Guide

Overview

Straight from the Heart presents simple stories about real people: a police chief who talks about how proud he is of his lesbian daughter, a Mormon couple whose son is believed to be the first gay man in Idaho to have died from AIDS, and a black woman and her two lesbian daughters who had been accused of "catching" their lesbianism from white people.

This film shows that prejudice against gays and lesbians is a form of bigotry inseparable from other manifestations of prejudice, particularly racism. Interviewees include PFLAG's Mitzi Henderson; Edmond L. Browning, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church; Police Chief Tom Potter; and Michael Bussee, Founder of Exodus International.

This film is part of the Unlearning Homophobia series.

Format: VHS/DVD
Year: 1994
Running Time: 27 minutes

Awards

1995 Academy Award Nomination, Documentary Short Subject
First Pro-Gay/Lesbian Film Screened for the U.S. Congress
Finalist, 1995 National Short Film Festival
Screening Honoree, 1994 Denver International Film Festival
Screening Honoree, 1995 Hot Springs Documentary Festival
Screening Honoree, 1995–1996 UCLA 14th Annual Contemporary Documentary Series

Film Credits

A Woman Vision Production

Producer / Director: Dr. Dee Mosbacher and Frances Reid
Editor: Deborah Hoffman
Cinematographer: Frances Reid
Narrator: Dr. Robert McAfee Brown

Discussion Guide

Straight from the Heart: A Discussion Guide written by Jennifer M. Finlay and Linda Alband; supplemental materials Sylvia Rhue, Ph.D

After watching and discussing Straight from the Heart, the audience should have a deeper understanding of the following issues:

the existence and visibility of gay and lesbian people
understandings of terms like "gay," "lesbian," "homosexual," heterosexual," and "straight"
the suffering associated with name-calling, rejection, and all prejudicial treatment
the stigma associated with having a gay or lesbian child or being labeled gay or lesbian
the inter-relatedness of all forms of discrimination and bigotry

Content Highlights:

Why Are People Gay or Lesbian?
How Are Homosexuals Different from Heterosexuals?
A Brief History of the Struggle for Gay Rights
Why Are Gay Rights Necessary?
Attacks on Gay Rights
HIV/AIDS Prevention and Self-Esteem

Woman Vision Productions - Documentary Films Promoting Tolerance